Church Bells

I am in Germany enjoying the 5 grandchildren who live here. The youngest two like to sit in the wonderful double stroller my daughter has while I walk them around the neighborhood. The other day we were walking and I could hear the church bells ringing. Thy rang louder and louder for about 10 minutes. The girls and I were making up words to go with the ringing--

Church bells ringing
Hear us singing
Everyone gather
Time for prayer


The next morning as we were out walking, again we heard the bells ringing, calling everyone to come to the church and worship.

When I was a girl living in Yucaipa, California there was a church in town that would ring the bells every day. It was a beautiful sound that brought comfort.

The other day when we went to pick strawberries, the neighborhood church bells started ringing. The bells played songs for about 15 minutes. It was lovely and soon I found myself singing along with the hymns the bells were pealing off.

The bells here in Germany were not playing songs, just ringing and ringing, hoping some of us would stop what we were doing and think of spiritual things for a few moments. Later I found that it was a holiday--Ascension Day.

As I thought about all of the turmoil that the city of Berlin has suffered in just my lifetime, and then thought about the meaning of the holiday as I listened to the church bells, I was filled with awe.

How often do we stop what we are doing and listen for that spiritual awareness. Most often it is not bells ringing, but a still small voice telling us to call a friend, send a note or bake and take something delicious to an acquaintance. In order to hear the call it is best to be quiet for a moment and look out from yourself. Wait a moment--you will hear--it is soft and quiet, gentle and still...a quiet call to action..